Grosser Preis von Ostererich 2016

[lkjohnson1950]

The suspension failures are being blamed on the new curbs installed at the R/B Ring for this race. Apparently some drivers just can't resist the temptation to drive over them even knowing they are risking their car.

http://www.motor1.com/news/64662/verstappen-slams-unbelievable-and-dangerous-kerbs/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=www_2016-07-02

[F1fanaticBD]

After a long time I enjoyed a qualifying, that threw a possibility even for a moment that Hulk will be starting from the pole, But Mercedes duo ensured that is not how it is going to be. 

But kudos to Irisado for pointing out Force India's emergence, that was as good as fortune telling from a written script.

[Irisado]

For once I got a prediction right about qualifying .  I'm sure that Pérez would have been right up there too had his car not suffered a suspension breakage.

What an exciting session that was.  Very reminiscent of the wet session back in 1998 which resulted in a very mixed up grid.  Unlike Coulthard, I still remember that session very clearly.  Today's qualifying generated that level of excitement.

Hamilton's pole lap was very impressive, as was Hulkenburg's, but Button netting fifth (third after penalties) was a reminder of what he can do when the conditions compensate for his car's lack of engine power.  Alonso was sent out on used tyres by a mistake in Q2 and then Sainz's engine failure stopped him from being able to improve after this was rectified, so no wonder he was annoyed.

Vettel was extremely sullen and sulky after qualifying, admitting that he hadn't pushed hard enough on the drying track.  This looks to be another race where Ferrari have let things slip.

Hamilton now looks favourite for tomorrow, but Rosberg has massive pace in the dry, so if it doesn't rain, he could easily come through to finish on the podium.  The big question will be whether Red Bull and Ferrari will gain a strategic advantage by starting on the super soft tyres.  They may, but I don't think that it will enable them to beat Mercedes.

Finally, an outstanding performance by Werhlein on a track where the Manor's relative lack of aerodynamic performance doesn't hurt so much.  I hope that he goes well tomorrow.

[J.Clark]

It should be a crazy start.

If Hamilton has a bad start, not that he has ever done that,  there are a few behind him that could easily end up ahead of him after turn one.

All in all, it is likely to be a much more exciting race than Baku.

[J.Clark]

After all the penalties and . . .
. . . here is the actual grid:
Row 1
1. Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes   
2. Nico Hulkenberg      Force India   

Row 2
3. Jenson Button      McLaren   
4. Kimi Raikkonen   Ferrari   

Row 3
5. Daniel Ricciardo   Red Bull   
6. Nico Rosberg      Mercedes

Row 4
7. Valtteri Bottas      Williams   
8. Max Verstappen    Red Bull   

Row 5
9. Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari   
10. Felipe Massa      Williams   

Row 6
11. Esteban Gutierrez  Haas
12. Pascal Wehrlein    MRT

Row 7
13. Romain Grosjean           Haas   
14. Fernando Alonso      McLaren   

Row 8
15. Carlos Sainz     Toro Rosso
16. Sergio Perez      Force India

Row 9   
17. Kevin Magnussen      Renault
18. Marcus Ericsson      Sauber   

Row 10
19. Jolyon Palmer   Renault
20. Rio Haryanto    MRT

Row 11
21. Felipe Nasr      Sauber

Pit-lane start
Daniil Kvyat      Toro Rosso

[cosworth151]

There was an odd thing about Kvyat's suspension failure. On the slo-mo, the left wheels were bouncing over the new curbs but it was the right rear that failed. Prior to quali, Mercedes reinforced their rear wishbones.

There is a chance of rain today. That should make for quite an interesting race.

[Scott]

Wow, would I love to be a fly on the wall while Wolff tears Nico's head off in the trailer after that one. 

I hand it all to Lewis for battling through the race and all its challenges, and of course the win. 

Nico is simply evil in my opinion.  He is so selfish that he would jeopardize the race for the team and both cars to childishly try to stay in front when he made a mistake.  Channel 4 did a good job of analysis post race by showing the line Nico took on the previous lap and then no steering input until just before impact with Lewis on the final lap.  It was intentional, unsportsmanlike and Nico should be suspended from racing by the team if not the FIA - that is two races this season when he has spoiled races, and it was only luck that Lewis's car wasn't damaged more.  That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.  Brazenly lying (again) post race interview when he claimed Lewis turned into him unexpectedly (when did he expect it, out on the runoff area?).

Happy for Kimi, though he really struggled to get past those RBR's.  I think he could have done better.  I completely missed how DR got passed by My absolutely favorite cuddle cat because I think he could have had that second step if it hadn't happened.

Good for Max for managing his race well and earning 2nd place.  He didn't place a wheel wrong today.

That's all for tonight, but will join the discussion tomorrow.

Looking forward to the European British GP, and only a few days away. 

[J.Clark]

Results were a bit of a surprise:
1.  Hamilton   Mercedes   71 laps
2.  Verstappen    Red Bull   +5.7
3.  Raikkonen   Ferrari   +6.0
4.  Rosberg      Mercedes   +26.7 *
5.  Ricciardo   Red Bull   +30.9
6.  Button      McLaren   +37.7
7.  Grosjean   Haas     +44.6
8.  Sainz       Toro Rosso   +47.4
9.  Bottas      Williams   +1 lap
10. Wehrlein   Manor   +1 lap

11. Gutierrez   Haas     +1 lap
12. Palmer      Renault   +1 lap
13. Nasr      Sauberi   +1 lap
14. Magnussen   Renault   +1 lap
15. Ericsson   Saube   +1 lap
16. Haryanto   Manor   +1 lap
17. Perez      Force India   +2 lap


Not classified 
19. Alonso      McLaren   
20. Hulkenberg   Force India    
20. Massa      Williams   
21. Vettel      Ferrari   
22. Kvyat      Toro Rosso   

Rosberg - putz 

Drive of the race has to go to Wehrlein!!!    What a race he drove.

I don't know what happened to Massa.  It wasn't really covered.  Following a commercial break, it was announced that he was out, but nothing about what happened.  This from Facebook post by Williams: Felipe Massa: "The race was going ok for me, I was fighting and gaining positions from the start and I had a very good pace during most of the race. Unfortunately, I had a puncture and had to pit for new tyres. I had been saving the brakes for the whole race, but at the end I was close behind Gutierrez so the temperatures rose even more and I had to stop."

Williams should have won this race two years ago, in fact, should have had a 1-2 finish.  Both of the past two years though, they have had a driver on the podium.  Smedley's excuses (?) are not satisfying.  Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: "Our race with Felipe was dictated by our first priority, which is safety. We found some structural damage on his front wing, which we believe was caused by vibrations over the kerbs. We changed it for safety reasons which meant he had to start from the pitlane, so his race was never going to be easy. We started him on the option tyre and ran for as long as we could before he had graining. Then we put on the prime and he was looking good. Unfortunately, he picked up a puncture due to a cut in the tyre, so we had to pit and put him back on the option. We subsequently had to retire him because of brake wear when the temperatures rocketed while he was behind Gutierrez, so that was the only safe thing to do. Valtteri’s race wasn’t as eventful but we were only able to get a couple of points. He struggled with graining, so his pace wasn’t where he should be because the way he manages tyres is usually one of the best in the pitlane. Unfortunately, as a group, I don’t think we’ve understood this asphalt and rubber combination, so that’s the first thing we need to do."

Too bad about Vettel.  I think it was a tire issue more than a car, or driver issue.

Haas benefited from Vettel's tire blowing up, and perhaps from Massa being taken out.  I think that he could have beaten Alonso even if he had stayed in the race.  As Button said in the post race intereviews, Haas is on par with us and that is meant as a compliment.

[Alianora La Canta]

All the action was in the last lap. By which point I'd read all but 3 pages of my new F1 Racing. Says it all

(Well, that and "Congratulations to Manor for the first point of the Fitzpatrick era")

[batman01]

Wow that ending was crazy

[J.Clark]

I was just looking over the results again, and I noticed something I believe to be significant.

This is a short track, at roughly 2 1/2 miles, and consequently a lap time just over one minute. 

Grosjean's Haas was only 44 seconds behind Hamilton, not only one of eight cars that were not lapped, but some 20 seconds clear of that.

[cosworth151]

An outstanding race! Action right down to the end. Nico's attempt to wreck Lewis backfiring on him & Checko having suspension failure & ending up in the kitty litter.

[Monty]

I could have just reposted 'It was Rosberg's fault and it was dangerous' from a few weeks ago.
I think he has been treated too leniently. It is simply not acceptable to ram another car off the road. Last time he forced Hamilton on to the grass at dangerously fast speeds and this time he simply drove straight into him (and then didn't give him any room to safely re-join the track). He was only reprimanded for continuing with a broken wing. Personally, I think he should have been excluded from the results.

[Scott]

An outstanding race! Action right down to the end. Nico's attempt to wreck Lewis backfiring on him & Checko having suspension failure & ending up in the kitty litter.

I watched the replay a couple of times, and his left front wheel spun right until he hit the wall.  Whatever FIF1 says, I think it was a brake failure.

[cosworth151]

I haven't seen a good reply of it. I was going by the commentary.